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December 13, 2015 at 7:06 pm #35595
znModeratorGurley Lifts Rams to 21-14 Win Over Lions
Myles Simmons
ST. LOUIS — Led by their second-year defensive tackle and rookie running back, the Rams got their fifth win of the season over the Lions, 21-14, on Sunday afternoon at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Rams got on the board first with a pick six from cornerback Trumaine Johnson in the second quarter. The St. Louis cornerback shadowed Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson throughout the contest, and got the best of the matchup when he picked off Matthew Stafford’s pass intended for the 6-foot-5 target.
After corralling the ball, Johnson darted down the left sideline looking for points. And the rest of the Rams’ defense was there to block for him, notably safety Rodney McLeod who hit Detroit right tackle Michael Ola hard to knock him out of the way. With that, Johnson had nothing but turf in front of him on his way to the end zone to give the Rams a 7-0 lead.
St. Louis also had a pair of sacks in the first half, one by defensive tackle Aaron Donald and the other by defensive tackle Michael Brockers.
Offensively, the Rams looked like they might have a shot to get on the board with a two-minute drill. But the opportunity ended when a Case Keenum pass was intercepted on the right sideline by Darius Slay, and St. Louis kept its 7-0 lead going into halftime.
After the break, the Lions scored their first points with a seven-play, 65-yard drive, which ended with a Stafford strike to Golden Tate in the end zone for a touchdown.
But the Rams came right back with a five-play, 80-yard drive to get on the board, led by the rookie running back out of Georgia. After an Ezekiel Ansah neutral-zone infraction, the Rams had 1st-and-5 at their own 45. That’s when Todd Gurley burst through the hole on the left side of the line for a 49-yard run down to the Detroit 6 — his seventh rush of at least 30 yards this season.
While an illegal formation penalty backed the Rams up five, two more Gurley runs of six and five yards got the home team its second touchdown of the game. On the five-yard touchdown, Gurley leapt toward the pylon in the left front corner of the end zone, put his hand down in bounds and broke the plane to put St. Louis back on top, 14-7.
After the Rams defense held on for another punt, the offense kept rolling. The club started the drive with a 25-yard pass from Keenum to Kenny Britt, moving the ball up to the St. Louis 34. And then Gurley burst through the hole for a 25-yard gain, putting the club in visitors’ territory. A few plays later, Gurley broke the plane for his second touchdown of the day, this time a 15-yard run to cap a seven-play, 91-yard drive. The score gave the Rams a 21-7 lead.
Donald continued his strong day in the second half as well, taking down Stafford two more times in the second half to give him a team-leading 11.0 on the season. It’s the first time Donald has recorded at least 3.0 sacks in a game in his young career.
Detroit kept up the game’s intrigue with a 14-play, 86-yard drive for a touchdown, as Stafford hit Tate with a two-yard scoring strike to cut St. Louis’ lead to 21-14. Then the visitors recovered an onside kick to give them the ball back at their own 47.
But St. Louis’ defense came through, forcing an incomplete pass on 4th-and-3 from the St. Louis 47 when a high snap put Stafford in an unenviable position and the pass was out of tight end Eric Ebron’s reach to turn the ball over on downs.
Gurley put the game on ice with a big 20-yard run to give the Rams their needed first down, and a few plays later, Keenum took a knee in victory formation to end it.
Gurley finished with 16 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns. It was his fifth 100-yard performance of the season. He recorded 127 yards and both scores after intermission.
With the victory, the Rams improve to 5-8 on the season. It’s a quick turnaround as they’ll play on Thursday night against the Buccaneers at the Edward Jones Dome.
December 13, 2015 at 7:07 pm #35596znModeratorNew coordinator Rob Boras gets Todd Gurley, Rams’ run game going
Nick Wagoner
ST. LOUIS — The only offensive success the St. Louis Rams have had this season has been tied directly to the effectiveness of running back Todd Gurley. As Gurley has gone, so have the Rams.
St. Louis went just about nowhere in their previous five games, losing all of them to form a streak that spurred coach Jeff Fisher to fire offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and promote Rob Boras to the job last week. After a first half that looked eerily similar to those five games, the Rams’ offense took off in the second half as Boras dialed up Gurley’s No. 30.
By the time it was over, Gurley had shouldered the load for the Rams’ 21-14 victory at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.
Earlier in the week, Fisher said that in making the move to Boras, he hoped his new coordinator could help spark the run game. Boras said he wanted to feed Gurley as much as possible, especially after the rookie back had just nine carries in each of his past two games.
Whatever Boras did this week apparently worked. Gurley finished with 140 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season and his first since Week 8 against San Francisco. As a team, the Rams rushed for 203 yards on 29 carries, an average of 7 yards per attempt.
Make no mistake, the Rams’ offense is still far from being even mediocre. But for one day — or one half — at least, Boras was able to get Gurley going again. It’s no coincidence that the result was a victory.
What it means: The Rams snapped the aforementioned five-game losing streak, getting their first win since that game against the 49ers on Nov. 1. The victory is essentially meaningless as the Rams improved to 5-8 but are, for all intents and purposes, out of the playoff race.
One reason to be excited: The Rams have difficult decisions to make this offseason when it comes to their many free agents, but it looks like they’re at least going to have good choices at cornerback. They likely can’t afford to keep both Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, but both have proved that they’re worthy. If Jenkins’ price gets too high, Johnson might be a solid, more cost-effective option. His 58-yard pick-six and the job he did against Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson showed that Johnson has developed into a good NFL cornerback.
Fantasy watch: The matchup didn’t look favorable, especially with so many injuries, but the Rams’ defense rebounded well from a couple of tough weeks against strong opponents. Johnson’s interception return for a score plus the Rams’ four sacks offered some big points for those who stood by their defense.
Ouch: The Rams made it through the game without any serious injuries of note, or at least none that were obvious during the game. Of course, they didn’t have much room for more serious injuries given their luck of late. They were without Jenkins (concussion) and end Robert Quinn (back), in addition to the many other injuries they’re dealing with on defense.
What’s next: It’s a short week for the Rams as they turn around and play Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Edward Jones Dome in what could be their final home game in St. Louis. It’s also the color rush game with the Rams wearing all yellow — if you’re into that kind of thing.
December 13, 2015 at 7:14 pm #35598znModeratorAaron Donald, Todd Gurley lead the way as Rams beat Lions
Michael David Smith
Fisher’s last two first-round draft picks, running back Todd Gurley and defensive tackle Aaron Donald, both had outstanding games today as the Rams beat the Lions, 21-14.
Gurley had 16 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns, one of the best games yet for one of the favorites to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. It was a sensational game for Gurley, who showed once again that he’s a unique talent who was worthy of a Top 10 pick.
And Donald may have been even better. He sacked Matthew Stafford three times and had three other tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The Lions passed on Donald in last year’s draft so they could take Eric Ebron instead. That was a huge mistake.
The Lions’ offense couldn’t get much going. Calvin Johnson didnt catch his first game until just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, narrowly avoiding the first catchless game of his career. But they did make a game of it in the end, scoring a touchdown just before the two-minute warning and then getting the ball back. Unfortunately for Detroit, their last chance ended on a fourth down when a shotgun snap got past Stafford, and his bailout throw to Ebron fell incomplete.
Neither of these teams is going anywhere, but the 5-8 Rams have to feel pretty good about having young talent like Donald and Gurley. And the 4-9 Lions have to wish they had made some of the draft moves the Rams have made.
December 13, 2015 at 7:21 pm #35599znModeratorDonald, Trumaine Johnson up, Greg Robinson down in Rams’ win
Nick Wagoner
ST. LOUIS — A look at St. Louis Rams players who were “up” and those who were “down” in Sunday’s 21-14 win against the Detroit Lions:
UP
DT Aaron Donald: We’re officially running out of superlatives for the Rams’ second-year defensive tackle, but he has to land on this list after posting his first NFL hat trick of sacks. Donald had five tackles to go with those sacks and the unofficial press box statistics also credited him with three tackles for loss and a whopping six quarterback hits. He should be in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year and is a lock to go to his second straight Pro Bowl.
Offensive coordinator Rob Boras: Boras didn’t reinvent the wheel and the Rams’ offense still only mustered 317 yards of total offense, but Boras lands here because he went through an extremely difficult week and there were no obvious signs that the job was too big for him. Boras is in a really tough spot taking over as offensive coordinator with just four games to go, but he should be commended for sticking with the run and helping the Rams’ offense find the end zone twice, something it hadn’t done since Week 8.
Calvin Johnson
Trumaine Johnson put the clamps on star Lions WR Calvin Johnson on Sunday, including returning this interception for a touchdown.
P Johnny Hekker: Like Donald, Hekker continues to amaze with his consistently outstanding production every week. He punted six times with a net average of 45.5 yards and dropped four of those inside Detroit’s 20. You never know how Pro Bowl voting will go with a punter but it’d be a farce if Hekker is left out.CB Trumaine Johnson: In returning from a thigh injury he suffered against Baltimore three weeks ago, Johnson had the task of shadowing Lions receiver Calvin Johnson all day. Johnson did it as well as any corner has since Johnson came into the league. Calvin Johnson finished with just one catch for 16 yards and Trumaine Johnson sent the ultimate exclamation point with an interception he returned 58 yards for the game’s first touchdown.
DOWN
OT Greg Robinson: It’s been a long, tough year for Robinson, who had his hands full all day with Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. Robinson picked up a penalty for a chop block and had another holding call declined. Ansah had a sack and two quarterback hits.
December 13, 2015 at 8:49 pm #35603znModeratorRams snap five-game losing streak
Jim Thomas
What looked like a victory-clinching 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by Tavon Austin got called back late in the third quarter Sunday because of a holding penalty on Cody Davis.
So instead of going up 21-7, the Rams were backed up at their 9, clinging to a 14-7 lead over the Detroit Lions.
Those are the kinds of mistakes the Rams seem to make all too often. And those are the kinds of mistakes that doom 4-8 teams. But not this time.
“Obviously, everybody was upset,” quarterback Case Keenum said. “I thought, ‘Heck, screw it. Let’s go 90 yards or whatever it is.'”
Keenum and the Rams did just that with a seven-play, 91-yard touchdown drive. Keenum got things going with his longest completion of the game, a 25-yard floater to Kenny Britt. Todd Gurley followed with a 24-yard run off right tackle. Next thing you know Gurley was in the end zone on a 15-yard run, giving the Rams that two-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter. It was the longest drive of the season for the Rams.
From there, they were able to hold off the Lions the rest of the way, snapping their five-game losing streak with a 21-14 victory at the Edward Jones Dome.
“We’ve had some tough ones,” Keenum said. “We were on this streak of not being successful. That’s what makes winning just feel so good. I mean, it may not look pretty at time but coming into that locker room — any winning locker room is pretty awesome.”
There were 51,202 tickets distributed for what could have been the Rams’ last Sunday home game in St. Louis. With owner Stan Kroenke planning to move the team to Los Angeles in 2016, the home finale is Thursday against Tampa Bay.
As Keenum mentioned, Sunday’s triumph was no thing of beauty. But the Rams took a 7-0 halftime lead on a 58-yard interception return by cornerback Trumaine Johnson. In the second half, the Rams finally got their offense going — the running game in particular — posting a couple of touchdowns on Gurley runs.
Gurley finished with 140 yards on 16 carries, his first 100-yard rushing game since the Rams’ last victory — way back on Nov. 1 against San Francisco.
“It felt good,” Gurley said. “We had lost (five) in a row so that’s never a good feeling. … We want to finish on a strong note. We might not be going to the playoffs, but it’s always good to bring that momentum going into the offseason.”
All told, the Rams (5-8) rushed for a season-high 203 yards. Gurley now has 975 yards rushing for the season with three games left to play.
Besides his “pick six,” Johnson did stellar work against Detroit star wide receiver Calvin Johnson, limiting the player known as “Megatron” to one catch for 16 yards. And as T. Johnson was quick to point out, C. Johnson’s only catch came against zone coverage.
(With C. Johnson lined up in the slot anyway, and not outside opposite T. Johnson.)
The Rams also had a revived pass rush, getting three sacks from defensive tackle Aaron Donald. With 11 on the season, Donald is the first Rams defensive tackle since D’Marco Farr (in 1995) with 10 or more sacks in one season.
“That’s kinda what we want to do,” Fisher said. “We want to run the football and play good defense.”
With Rob Boras calling plays in his first game as offensive coordinator, and Keenum making his second start at quarterback, the Rams couldn’t dent the scoreboard in the first half.
Keenum’s mobility helped on a couple of plays. Boras made sure that Tavon Austin was involved. Austin gained 13 yards on a run lining up in the backfield, something the Rams haven’t tried in a while. He also gained 20 yards on a jet sweep — with Gurley making the handoff out of the wildcat formation.
The Rams reached Detroit territory three times in the opening half, but were in field goal range only once. But on third-and-5 from the Detroit 27 early in the second quarter, Keenum was sacked for a 10-yard loss by Ziggy Ansah.
Instead of trying a 55-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, who was back in the lineup after missing two games with a right hip injury, Fisher decided to punt.
But Boras, who replaced the fired Frank Cignetti on Monday, finally got some points on the board in the second half.
“(Boras) worked really hard, as the staff did and the players,” Fisher said. “The players supported the staff this week, knowing it was gonna be difficult.
“I’m sure he’s looking at it right now wishing he could have a bunch of calls back. But as a first time play-caller it’s hard to convince him sometimes when you don’t get a first down on first down — it’s not your fault.
“You’re playing a good defense. It’s hard to just call things and have success all the time. But you set things up. The most important thing from our perspective, which he did, was adjust. I thought the staff did a good job adjusting.”
Both Boras and Trumaine Johnson received game balls after the contest. Johnson, who had missed the past two games with a thigh injury, now has 13 career interceptions — the most for any player in his draft class (2012). His five interceptions this season are the most for a Ram since Oshiomogho Atogwe had five in 2008.
In a tactic rarely used by the Rams, he shadowed Calvin Johnson all over the field. He had known all week that was going to be his assignment.
“It was Johnson vs. Johnson the whole week,” Trumaine Johnson said. “I knew it was going to be a tough matchup, but I feel like I can match up with anybody with my big frame, especially him.”
Even so, Detroit (4-9) made a game of it. Golden Tate caught a two-yard TD pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford with 2:05 left, to make it a one-score game at 21-14. And then the Lions recovered an onside kick on their 47 with 2:03 to play and all three timeouts remaining.
But the Rams defense held. It was four-and-out for Detroit, and just like that the local gridiron nightmare was over.
“No matter what your record is, we’re going to keep playing and keep battling,” Donald said. “We’ve got to finish strong. That’s what it’s about. That’s what we’re going to do.”
December 14, 2015 at 1:17 am #35616znModeratorRams notebook: No style points, but Keenum makes it happen
Jim Thomas
Case Keenum is taking any and all suggestions about what to call his longest completion of the day Sunday.
“I’ll let you come up with it,” a giddy Keenum told reporters after the Rams’ 21-14 victory over Detroit. “Just have some options for me tomorrow.”
When asked if three suggestions would be enough, Keenum replied, “Yeah, at least three and then we’ll name it.”
OK, how about:
1.) The Water Balloon.
2.) The Hail Barely.
3.) The Alley-oops.
Keenum’s 25-yard floater came down in wide receiver Kenny Britt’s arms, jump-starting the Rams’ longest drive of the season.
Just moments earlier, what looked to be an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by Tavon Austin was nullified because of a holding penalty on Cody Davis.
So instead of taking a 21-7 lead, the Rams found themselves backed up at their 9-yard line with just a 14-7 advantage and 47 seconds left in the third quarter.
“Obviously, everybody was upset,” Keenum said. “I thought, ‘Heck, screw it. Let’s go 90 yards or whatever it is.’”
The Rams did just that with a seven-play, 91-yard touchdown drive. It began with the connection to Britt on a play in which Keenum knew it was a free play because of a penalty flag on Detroit.
“I threw it this time, instead of letting some guy dribble my head on the turf like I did the last time that happened,” Keenum said.
That, of course, was a reference to the controversial concussion he suffered Nov. 22 in Baltimore. He held onto the ball too long that day even though there was a flag on the turf for a Ravens offside.
This time he got rid of the ball before the pass rush arrived. The Rams took the gain, declining a pass interference call against the Lions. On the next play, Todd Gurley rambled 25 more yards off right tackle.
Next thing you knew, the Rams were in the end zone on a 15-yard run by Gurley and with a two-touchdown lead.
Like that throw to Britt, Keenum’s work wasn’t always pretty. He completed 14 of 22 passes for a mere 124 yards, with an interception and a passer rating of just 59.7. But the Rams did come up with four third-down conversions, and at day’s end they had a victory.
NO JENKINS
As expected, Janoris Jenkins was a pregame scratch because of a concussion. But Trumaine Johnson returned after missing two games with a thigh injury, and Johnson’s return proved to be huge with his interception return for a score and his coverage work on Calvin Johnson.
The Rams went with Marcus Roberson as their other starting cornerback. Lamarcus Joyner was at his usual nickel spot. A fourth cornerback, Eric Patterson, played special teams in his Rams debut after being promoted from the practice squad Friday.
Other Rams inactives: K Zach Hocker (thigh), QB Sean Mannion, G/T Andrew Donnal (knee), DE Robert Quinn (back), DE Matt Longacre, and G/C Brian Folkerts.
After missing the Cincinnati and Arizona games because of a right hip injury, Greg Zuerlein returned and handled kickoffs as well as kicking two extra points.
But perhaps out of concern for the injury, coach Jeff Fisher passed on a potential 55-yard field goal early in the second half, sending Johnny Hekker out to punt instead.
GAME BALL FOR BORAS
Johnson got a game ball Sunday and so did Rob Boras, who replaced Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator last Monday.
“(Boras) worked really hard, as the staff did and the players,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “The players supported the staff this week, knowing it was gonna be difficult.”
ALEXANDER’S HOMECOMING
Eureka High product Maurice Alexander, who once worked as a janitor cleaning after Rams games at Edward Jones Dome, made his first home start Sunday. According to unofficial press box stats, he finished with five tackles.
“It went great,” Alexander said. “Just as I expected. You know you play how you practice. We came in with a great mindset as a secondary — no balls over the top of our heads.”
December 14, 2015 at 1:20 am #35617znModeratorT. Johnson helps Rams stifle ‘Megatron’
Joe Lyons
Trumaine Johnson was up to the challenge — and then some — Sunday afternoon at the Edward Jones Dome.
Johnson, a fourth-year cornerback for the Rams, returned to the starting lineup after missing two-plus games with a thigh strain. His assignment: shadowing Detroit standout wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
“It was Johnson vs. Johnson all week, even in practice. No matter where No. 81 went, I knew I had to be there,” Trumaine said. “Going in, I knew it was a tough matchup, but I feel like I can match up with anybody. He’s one of the best in the league right now and all week I looked forward to going against him.
“And I’m really happy about the way it turned out.”
In his ninth NFL season, Calvin Johnson is one of the league’s premier receivers. A Pro Bowl selection in each of the last five seasons and a first-team All-Pro choice in three of the last four, Calvin entered Sunday’s action needing just 35 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the seventh time in his career, including the last six.
But Trumaine, with the help of his teammates, limited the 6-foot-5, 237-pound “Megatron” to just one catch for 16 yards. And that came with 2½ minutes to play in the Rams’ 21-14 victory.
“We were in zone,” stressed Trumaine, laughing, when asked about Calvin’s 16-yard reception that set up the Lions’ second touchdown. “Seriously, it was a team effort. We knew he was a big part of their offense, but we worked together and we managed to shut him down.”
The Rams don’t do a lot of shadow coverage, but with the team’s other starting cornerback, Janoris Jenkins, sidelined with a concussion, the chore of matching up with Calvin fell to Trumaine.
“Coming off the quad, we weren’t quite sure,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “I talked to (Trumaine) last Saturday night about coming back and taking the challenge on with Calvin this week… We did some coverage adjustments at times — everybody does when you face Calvin — and I thought Trumaine played a really good game.”
With Trumaine blanketing Calvin, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw in the direction of his No. 1 receiver just five times Sunday. It wasn’t until early in the second quarter that Stafford threw that way for the first time. From his own 2, the quarterback pump-faked to freeze Trumaine for a split-second and had Calvin open for a big gainer down the sideline but overthrew him.
“I obviously missed him when we were backed up,’’ Stafford explained. “He ran a good route, the safety was streaming over the top, so I couldn’t throw a high arc, but I missed him on a good route. It’s just on me to make sure he gets a little more involved earlier on.’’
The next time Stafford threw in Calvin’s direction, Trumaine was ready — and waiting.
On a short pass to the right side, Trumaine jumped the route, picked off the pass and returned his career-best fifth interception of the season 58 yards for his second career pick-6 and a 7-0 Rams lead with 4:55 to play in the opening half.
“Lots of film study,” Trumaine said when asked about his 13th career interception. “All week, I watched them run that play and get completions. So when I read it today, I knew I had to step up and make a play.”
Trumaine, who was hurt on an interception return in the Rams’ loss at Baltimore on Nov. 22, was headed down the left sideline when a huge block from 5-10, 195-pound safety Rodney McLeod on 6-5, 312-pound Detroit tackle Michael Ola cleared the way for the touchdown.
“Just hustle,” McLeod said. “I had a good read on the play and just busted my butt to get there to make a play.
“Any time the defense can create a turnover and put points on the board, it’s huge.”
Stafford added: “Calvin looked to be doing everything he could, but (Trumaine) was just squatting on it and made a good play. I’m not upset at my decision or where the throw went. (Trumaine) guessed and he guessed right.”
With Trumaine blanketing Calvin, Stafford simply passed elsewhere. He threw 10 times and completed nine, including two TDs, to Golden Tate and completed seven of 11 passes to running back Theo Riddick.
Trumaine had a shot at another interception late in the game but was unable to corral Stafford’s under-pressure pass.
“Getting ‘Tru’ back was huge,’’ McLeod said. “He’s a veteran guy, a guy who studies a lot of film and who brings a lot of energy and playmaking ability.”
A third-round draft choice in 2012, Trumaine will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. But that’s not his concern now.
“I’m just glad to contribute to the win,: Trumaine said after helping the Rams snap a five-game losing streak. “It felt great being out there with my brothers again. I just want to step up and be consistent. … I love my teammates. The chemistry is there on the defense. I’ve been playing with these guys for three and four years. I’ll worry about (the future) after the season.”
December 14, 2015 at 7:44 am #35618
canadaramParticipantAaron Donald — the one that got away — haunts Lions (article from Detroit Free Press)
Jeff Seidel
ST. LOUIS – This was cruel and unusual punishment.
It’s one thing that the St. Louis Rams beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday, 21-14.
But how they did it was especially cruel for fans.
Because Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald just destroyed the Lions. He turned into a one-man wrecking crew who hit quarterback Matthew Stafford six times and finished with three sacks.
Remember, the Lions could have drafted Donald in 2014 — as if you could ever forget. But after they picked tight end Eric Ebron instead, many fans were outraged. And on Sunday, that decision to pass on Donald came back to haunt the Lions.
“He was certainly disruptive — the tackles for losses and the sacks and the hurries and things,” St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said. “There’s nothing against them, but they’ve had 10 days to prepare for Aaron Donald, and that just shows you the type of player he is. They’re double-teaming him. He’s breaking double teams. We created some one-on-one matchups for him by call design, and when you do that, he usually wins.”
That’s putting it nicely.
“You’re supposed to win one-on-ones,” Donald said. “That’s why they brought me here. When I get (a one-on-one opportunity), I’m supposed to win it. I’m just doing my job.”
His job is pretty simple. Go destroy the offense. And that’s what he did Sunday.
Donald was a beast, continuously blowing through the line, disrupting the offense.
“Quite a bit, he was an issue,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “He made a lot of plays for them. Quick. Just the type of things you anticipate from him. He did a nice job.”
Stafford agreed.
“I was trying to slide the line if I could, but they do a good job of showing blitz, so I’ve got to respect the fact that they might bring blitz and pick them up, and they may have to be one-on-one,” Stafford said. “They’ve got a great front four, especially 99 (Donald); 98 (Rams DT and former Lion Nick Fairley) played good today, so they’re good up front.”
Meanwhile, Ebron caught three passes for 27 yards.
And the link between these players, at least in the minds of the Lions’ fans, will never go away.
“Man, that’s one of my good friends,” Ebron said. “I’m happy for his success. I’m happy for the scheme he’s in. I’m happy they are giving him the opportunity to shine. I’m not upset. You guys are upset. The media is upset. The fans are upset. I don’t care. I didn’t choose myself to come here. They chose me to come here. There is nothing I can do about it.”
After the game, Donald was asked if he is the best pass rusher in the league.
“I’ve still got work to do,” he said. “I’m not satisfied yet, so I’ve got to just keep working.”
Hardworking. Unstoppable. Disruptive.
Donald would look amazing in a Lions’ uniform.
And that’s the cruelest part of all.
December 14, 2015 at 12:31 pm #35629znModeratorAaron Donald — the one that got away — haunts Lions (article from Detroit Free Press)
Jeff Seidel
ST. LOUIS – This was cruel and unusual punishment.
It’s one thing that the St. Louis Rams beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday, 21-14.
But how they did it was especially cruel for fans.
Because Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald just destroyed the Lions. He turned into a one-man wrecking crew who hit quarterback Matthew Stafford six times and finished with three sacks.
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More of the same kinda thing.
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FOUR DOWNS: Where was Megatron?
Four downs following the Lions’ 21-14 loss to the Rams includes where was Megatron, uninspired football, 2014 Draft revisited and good Gurley.
FIRST DOWN: WHERE WAS MEGATRON?Golden Tate stood at his locker after the Lions’ 21-14 loss in St. Louis Sunday and wondered aloud why Calvin Johnson wasn’t more of a factor in the game.
“It’s frustrating, man, because he’s such a huge part of this offense, this team, and even this organization,” Tate said of Megatron’s one-catch performance. “I know what he’s capable of, we all know what he’s capable of, it’s just unfortunate.
“I think we have to get him going early. He definitely helps us win. So we’re going to watch the film, see what we can all do better collectively and move forward.”
Johnson was targeted five times in the game and came down with just one reception for 16 yards. It appeared that catch might never come as the minutes fell off the clock in the fourth quarter, but he was able to snag a 16-yard rope from Stafford at the Rams 2-yard line with just under three minutes left in the game.
The play set up Golden Tate’s second touchdown of the game and pushed Johnson’s consecutive-game streak with a catch to 132 games.
“Every game’s different. Golden (Tate) caught nine balls, (Theo) Riddick caught seven balls, Calvin had five targets,” head coach Jim Caldwell said. “Every game is a little different.”
Every game is different. Every opposing plan to stop Megatron is different, too. But some how, some way, the Lions have to find ways to get their best player the ball.
Their inability to consistently block St. Louis’ front four was part of the problem.
Stafford didn’t have much time for plays to develop down the field and was forced to dump the ball and play small ball with Tate and Riddick for most of the game.
“I have to find a way to get him the ball,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said after the game. “Let’s be more aggressive to him, give him some shots.
“It’s on me to make sure he gets a little bit more involved earlier on.”
SECOND DOWN: UNINSPIRED FOOTBALL
Caldwell was asked if he thought Sunday’s poor performance had anything to do with a carryover effect from last week’s devastating loss to Green Bay.
He said he thought his team “fought hard” and “played tough” but just didn’t execute well enough.
For the last couple minutes that might be true, but for most of the game the Lions seemed to play pretty uninspired football.
They missed tackles, lost 50/50 chances and were on the wrong side of a lot of one-on-one matchups upfront on both sides of the ball.
It’s been a common theme this season. Something adverse happens, say a missed/bad officiating call, or a coaching or front office shakeup, and this team simply hasn’t been able to find a way to respond the following week for whatever reason.
THIRD DOWN: 2014 DRAFT REVISITED… AGAIN
Eric Ebron has been compared to Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald ever since the Lions passed on Donald and chose Ebron at No. 10 in the 2014 NFL Draft. The Rams selected Donald three spots later at No. 13.
Ebron’s answered questions regarding the comparison many times, including earlier this week ahead of Sunday’s matchup in St. Louis, but Ebron finally seemed a little frustrated by the line of questioning after the game.
“I’m happy for his success,” Ebron said of Donald. “I’m happy for the scheme he’s in. I’m happy that they’re giving him an opportunity to shine.
“I’m not upset. You guys are upset. The media is upset. The fans are upset. I don’t care. I didn’t choose to come here. They (Lions) chose me to come here. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Ebron caught three passes for 27 yards in the game and now has 34 receptions for 384 yards and four touchdowns on the year.
Donald sacked Stafford three times Sunday and is well on his way to a second-straight Pro Bowl. He leads all defensive tackles with 11 sacks on the year.
“I have to go out and do my job,” Ebron said. “He (Donald) does his, I have to do mine.”
Ebron shows flashes of great play, albeit not consistently enough, but the story of that 2014 Draft is far from being written yet.
FOURTH DOWN: GOOD GURLEY
Rams running back Todd Gurley ran roughshod over and through Detroit’s defense on way to 140 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams as a team racked up 203 yards on the ground against a Lions defense that hadn’t allowed more than 68 yards rushing in any of their last four games.
“I know he ran through a lot of tackles and made some nice runs,” Caldwell said. “He’s got vision, he’s got power, he’s got speed and we didn’t tackle him very well. Like I said, a couple of our run fits might’ve been off as well.”
When the Lions have played good football defensively this year they’ve been very good against the run. Sunday, they were no match for Gurley’s physical brand of football. They missed run fits and didn’t tackle particularly well.
Gurley’s drawn comparisons to Adrian Peterson and Eric Dickerson since joining the league. The Lions did little to squelch those comparisons Sunday.
“He’s a great running back,” safety Isa Abdul-Quddus said. “Even though he’s young, he’s been running like a man. So, he had a good day today.
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